[tacho9000]

Hello,I'm Subhra Mallick aka tacho9000 as known on team-bhp and amongst the myriads of the BHPians onboard. This is going to be a tribute as well as a long term review of my dear old Maruti 800DX of 1999 vintage.

So where to start,this was the first question but then I decided to start on the day she came home to us for the very first time in 2004. Wait,did I say 2004 for an ownership review on 1999 Maruti 800. Now there's a catch to it. Let's watch what happens.

Prologue
My father used to work for a leading mechanical engineering company in gujarat way back in 1999. During August 1999 without my knowledge he had a talk with my mother about buying our first car which will be a brand new showroom piece. Back then even though I was a car junkie didn't get to know else would've asked him to get a ZEN. However I was too young and reading in class II or III hence mom and dad took the decision of buying an 800 with AC which as we know back then was the ubiquitous choice of almost all the first time buyers of car. The car was brought from Kataria Automobiles at Baroda and registered in my father's company's name at Mehsana with a GJ16 registration number. I on 1st january 2000 got to know as a surprise that my father had bought himself a Maruti 800DX in Gujarat. I was elated with joy as I knew I'll get to see that car soon. However destiny had other plans as my father changed job in 2001 but kept paying the EMI against the car to the company account. All of this went on without me getting to know whether I'll ever get to see the Maruti. I was disheartened and just kept on studying and studying. Time passed and we visited a few sacred places with my ailing grandmother when I for the very first time in my life sat in any car other than the ubiquitous ambassador. The car in question was a 1996 Maruti 800 DX bought by dad's best friend in delhi and once onboard I was elated with joy and tried to imagine how our car will be whilst being driven or rode. My cousin big brother had also bought a wagonR in delhi which I also got a chance to ride in and was pretty surprised to see it's spaciousness. Then we came back to kolkata my father went back to his job and I continued with my studies. Days passed by lazily as I was engrossed in studies interspersed with gaming on computer. Time went by and I lost my grandmother in 2003. Dad came back for a shortwhile and after the last rites of my grandmother was done he said that the EMI on the car was going to be over soon and that he would get the car back in Kolkata by next year which was 2004. Despite losing my grandma I was a bit excited on hearing this.

Circa 2004. At the beginning of January 2004, on 2nd Jan my father had to go through an operation for his health. It was on 15th January 2004 that dad announced whilst being in Kolkata recuperating from an operation that he had plans underway to bring the Maruti 800 back to Kolkata and that his good friend Sanat Das(henceforth refered to as Das uncle) will be driving the car back to Kolkata. Then got the news that the car is being driven back from Gujarat on 19th Jan,2004. I was overjoyed knowing that soon we will be having our very first car albeit which was in a different state. In the meantime the annual rites of my grandma's death was done on 21st Jan,2004. The car reached Kolkata on 22nd Jan,2004 around 11.00AM and my joys knew no bounds on seeing the first car of our family. I literally ran down sat in the car started it honked and had a silly grin on my face. That day I decided I'll learn to drive this car soon. Fast forward to June 2004,the car was being driven around by my father's local friend who I fondly call as "Narayan Uncle". But then again he had his own job to do at the airport. In between which whenever he used to get time he used to go with us to places we visit since we didn't have a paid driver. Now when the car had come down from Gujarat it had 40K kms done on it thanks to being used by my father whilst he was stationed in Gujarat and post that a few times by his ex-colleagues with his permission. Still it had that brand new smell intact. I don't know how(You can call me stupid for that). Then in July 2004 I literally pestered "Narayan Uncle" to teach me how to drive, I would call him repeatedly till he finally gave in and started teaching me from 25th June 2004. I was overjoyed with being able to get to learn about driving from him as well as being able to sit in the driver's seat. Days passed by and he taught me the finer nuances of the driving as well as the car. In the meantime 6 more months passed by and I became quite proficient in driving the car and then finally on 2nd January 2005 for the first time was being left to drive the car entirely by my ownself whilst uncle was seated beside me. This drive was so much enjoyed by me that I fondly christened our Maruti 800 as "Goldie". We did the drive from our home near Kolkata airport to Barasat in the suburbs all with me driving whilst my uncle was in the front passenger seat and mom in the backseat. In the meanwhile all of my drives and ventures on the main road continued with uncle by my side.

Fast forward to August 2005, my mother started learning to drive and then finally got her license in Sept 2005. This was one achievement in the sense that finally uncle could concentrate on his job as my mother had her license which meant that she was entitled to driving but in reality she was being the supervising custody in the front seat with me being the driver. Also the car because of the GJ number plate was being tracked down time and again by the police during the city visits with "Narayan Uncle" driving the car so got the number re registered in WB legislation and that's where the number got changed from GJ-16C-7672 to WB-24C-8284.

As such life was going on good and I had my class exam was going on so couldn't drive but was itching to. On the final day of the exam she had told me she would take me to Barasat to my maternal uncle's house with me driving. I was elated with the proposal. However somehow she had left for Barasat without me and only my maternal grandmother was in house cooking. Came home from exams and was furious that my mother had left me and went to Barasat. My grandma was trying to convince me not to go but all I did was eat the lunch and went down with the car keys and took the car out and drove away to Barasat. At this point I'd like to point out that I didn't have a license and was underaged; so it was scary but then again we all have done something mad and crazy like this once atleast in life. My mother was surprised and furious that I had gone to Barasat like that but inside I was feeling like butterflies in my stomach at having being driven all the way alone. That set the ball rolling and from then on till 2009 when I got my license she used to trust me and go on driving in the suburbs of the city on errands. Agreed it wasn't right but then do all petrolheads get their petroholic urges right on time.

Circa 2009. I had finally got my license on 29.03.2009 and what a freedom it was. Now I could use the car as I want wherever I want whenever I want. Till now the car had done only 52000Kms and thanks to a newbie driver like myself the clutch was worn out and had to be replaced at around 50000Kms. But now that my driving had improved I had expected to get more life out of the clutch. In the meantime I used to go out in the city with my mother for oddjobs as well as sometimes alone too since I had got the license. And life was going on great. During this time on account of my craziness towards cars I had started reading online forums and that's when I got to know about team-bhp and tried to register for the first time. Failed and then tried several more times to get it till I finally succeeded at getting it in October 2012. N
Prologue Ends

Thank you for bearing till this much. Now I'll come to write down about the car in general.

Manufacturer: Maruti Suzuki India. Model: 800 DX. Specifications: AC and Tinted Glass.

Odometer Reading at the time of review: 71+K Kms.

Build Quality: As we all know the Maruti 800 was a basic low end car from Maruti for mostly first time car buyers. It was also a built to cost car. So the body metal was pretty flimsy and a small amount of pressure would result in the body caving in which on releasing the pressure would bounce back. Now in the days of the car's release crash norms were non existent and so was any kind of safety related measures so this car only had a collapsible steering column and seatbelts at the front in the name of safety. So it literally runs on a prayer. The car has had some minor shunts in its life and due to which the body has been dented once at the front left fender, once at the rear right quarterpanel and twice on the bonnet but thanks to lack of fluids and curves the body was easy to tinker back in shape and repaint. So overall it isn't the safest and strongest car and the body is fragile in terms of quality but if taken care of will go on for ages.

Engine and Transmission: Now this is one component of the car which is literally bulletproof. The car has been in all these years being driven less but the engine and gearbox hasn't shown any sign of deterioration. Yes it has been mostly serviced on time as in once each year with a maximum of one month late which too has happened only twice and the car doesn't have any trouble handling the city roads and ocassional highway jaunts. Only once the timing belt had broken due to our carelessness but that was fixed after the head was resurfaced. This had happened in the evening of a September in 2008 and was fixed next day thanks to prompt service by the experienced FNG mechanic. The car has seen the A.S.S. only twice in its life and both the time the service experience was below par and hence I trusted on my FNG mechanics. The pickup in the initial gears is really nice and thanks to the inherent luggability of the 3cylinder engine the car can potter around comfortably 3rd gear from speeds as low as 20kmph to all the way till around 80kmph post which it needs an upshift as the engine noise becomes quite loud and intrusive including the vibrations which can be felt on the floor of the car apart from the pedals and steering. In city the car can pretty quickly accelerate to 60kmph which is the maximum driving in city one can achieve. Thanks to the engine transmission combination city FE remains a strong 13+KMPL with 100% AC all throughout and on highways cruising at around 80kmph gives 18+KMPL with 100% AC. For a puny engine with AC I personally find the FE figures to be very decent. Point to be noted is the AC is rarely switched off if I'm in the car. Cruising is best done in the 4th gear in the 90-100kmph band as taking the car beyond that speeds isn't an exciting proposition since progress slows done post 110kmph. Also vibrations increase as engine speeds and overall speeds increase. Overall the engine and transmission is perfectly suited for driving around in the city on a regular basis as well as those ocassional highway jaunts.

Braking: The car comes equipped with front discs and rear drum brakes. Braking is one sore point in this car with brake bite being quite poor at speeds. Also the pedal modulation is not quite linear and pedal feel is nearly non-existent. The absence of booster in the braking system also means that to stop the car one needs to stomp quite hard on the pedals if one is driving this car after driving a booster brake assisted ones. Overall braking is poor and can be dangerous at speeds if one isn't careful but manageable if one knows how and what to expect.

Ride and Handling: Being a small and basic entry level car built to a cost and basically belonging to the 80's-90's era the suspension is comprised of McPherson strut coil spring with anti-roll bar suspension at the front and torsion beam with coil spring suspension at the rear. This particular model got its rear suspension upgrade in 1998 and our car being DX has this too. However due to its basic nature the ride quality is acceptable at slow city speeds and it doesn't crash too much through the potholes if taken slowly and patienty but if taken at a medium decent speeds then it sends a jolt through the cabin. Also at high speeds crosswinds affect the car quite strongly and even buffeting can be unsettling but then again for that I'll attribute it to the fact that the car is pretty small and compact and has got a small footprint. Handling in traffic is very nippy thanks to the small footprint of the car. We can basically point and shoot into a gap if need be courtesy the responsive (if slightly tough to steer for power steering users) manual steering. The car needs to be driven sedately and one needs to have patience on the highways since as I've highlighted that the car is prone to getting unsettled due to crosswinds and buffetting. Also at speeds the amount of body roll is quite high and can be scary. Otherwise the suspension is quite satisfying for regular usage provided the user keeps the expectations realistic.

Noise,Vibration and Harshness: The NVH levels of this car is frankly pathetic. Thin doors,thin window glasses let in all the noises around you so much so that at times even with the windows rolled up one feels as if one is driving with the windows down and yes this has happened multiple times to me. Blame it on driving or riding or sitting in friends' car which have superior NVH level. Also when driven at speeds above 40kmph the rear suspension can be heard working quite clearly. This is one car which can tire a person out if he/she is pushing the car. Also my specific car has over time become a rattlesnake and I haven't been able to arrest this. This is one of the bigger drawbacks of this car which is a deal breaker but back then we didn't have a tonne of options did we.

Air Conditioning: Now let's be honest. The AC in this car frankly sucks big time. Three vents all in the front and god knows what size compressor the company has put in the car but the AC is the biggest weak point of the car. It cools decently only for the persons seated at the front. The back passenger hardly feel cooling even though the AC is working hard to keep the rear compartment cool enough. So hard so that it can't switch off anytime in peak summers. Also three vents at the front doesn't throw out enough air to spread evenly through the cabin. The alto has got the AC spot on with respect to cooling the cabin. Also even though it is a small AC compressor yet it saps significant amount of engine power making it tough to drive at times. I wish I knew how to improve the AC performance so that it can atleast cool the rear. The biggest weak point in the entire car is this one component and this is one big dampener in the overall experience.

Other points:

1. Car is rewarding to drive in the city and highway provided the AC is off. With AC the car can be driven manageably in the city but on highways one needs to have patience.

2. This is a basic car with basic features compared to newer generation cars which were quite advanced for the time it was bought. Hence no comparison should ideally be made with newer cars.

3. Extremely cheap to repair and repair friendly too. This car can be a DIY mechanic's dream as most of the components are visible and fairly easy to access. Also spares cost is peanuts compared to modern cars.

4. The car can run for miles after miles with very little to take care of. This car is a living proof of Japanese cars being more reliable.

5. The basic sized tyres are very poor at handling decent speeds and the brakes do not contribute towards making the car feel any safer.

6. OEM headlights are very poor at illuminating the road surface. They have been upgraded to 100W/90W H4 bulbs.

7. The door rubber beading is very cheap quality and has fallen off quite a few times. Had to be seated with pointed clamps.

8. Boot space is small but quite okay for a car of this size.

Epilogue
That's all I have to say for this little reliable car. I love driving this car and being my father's first car it has been staying in the family for the past 16years overall and with us for the past 11years. The usage has got reduced drastically over the past few years but still with little usage this car hasn't thrown a wrong foot ever over the years. Has been driven through water as high as the grille top yet no issues. Overall I'm immensely happy to own this little beauty. Yes we do plan to get another car in the family but this one will remain in the family for a long long time thanks to it's unfailing nature.

Some pictures are attached of the car. Image courtesy respective photographer


Clicked by 1100D


Clicked by AJ-got-BHP


Clicked by Samba

























That's all for now. Currently Goldie has done 71700Kms. Will be updating my experiences as and when possible. Looking forward to your comments.

Regards,
Subhra

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Long-Term Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[dj78]

Nice thread Subhra. The long lasting emotional bond is very obvious and why not for a car that has served you well over the years and it seems that you have been taking it offroading as well.

BTW what are those lights on the ORVMS?

[tacho9000]

Thanks dhruba da. Those were LED strip which were installed on the ORVM's which used to light up on starting the parking lights. Helped a lot in dark and narrow alleys. Unfortunately due to wiring damage one of them started malfunctioning and in 2013 I removed them completely and permanently.

[BlackPearl]

Nice thread tacho9000. The first car is always very close to heart and it feels good that you are taking good care of it. A well kept Maruti 800 is still a fun car to drive and can bring a smile even to this day. Wish you many more kilometers of happiness with the sweet little beauty.

[amit_snk]

Nice thread tacho0009, your car looks fine for a 16 year old model. I purchased a pre owned 2000 make 800 5speed dx 4 months back, have driven 10000 kms and car works absolutely fine for a 15 year old.

Your car seems to be carburetor version. There is a little difference of power and mileage between mine and your one, my highway mileage with full AC comes around 20+ on highways and 17+ in city.

I am facing a little problem with mine: excessive vibrations at idle, got it checked from A.S.S at the time of service and they opined that, its just fine and normal for a 800, but its little irritant in the overall driving experience. Any suggestions from your experience?

[a4anurag]

Finally the long term ownership is up and running! One lovely car out there and the one that had Indian common man rolling on our roads and the car that almost killed the Ambassador & Premier Padmini (Fiat).

She looks good for a '99 model! Keep it updated as and when you can.

[SS-Traveller]

Good to see you take the plunge and finally publish your ownership report, over two years after starting to compose it in the Assembly Line! Way to go!

Originally Posted by tacho9000

This is one car which can tire a person out if he/she is pushing the car.

I am sure if you invest a little more time and money on this very reliable and VFM car, it won't let you down, and you wouldn't need to tire yourself out by pushing it!

[Leoshashi]

2 years on the assembly line- that's really some time. The report was quite an interesting one, specially for me as I too own a 2000 model Golden M800 DX(same california gold shade as yours), albeit in the 5 Speed MPFI avatar. Enjoyed reading it.

My goldie-http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3873350

Originally Posted by amit_snk

I am facing a little problem with mine: excessive vibrations at idle, got it checked from A.S.S at the time of service and they opined that, its just fine and normal for a 800, but its little irritant in the overall driving experience. Any suggestions from your experience?

Firstly I'd say change the fuel filter if it hasn't been changed. If the issue remains, check if the battery is fine. I had this issue(though barely noticeable) in my 5-speed when my battery was extremely weak. Then get the throttle body cleaned. If the issue still persists, get the IAC valve checked.

Change of fuel filter will cost you Rs.330 for the filter(most probable cause), throttle body cleaning will cost you around 700 rupees(useless in my opinion, though many people benefit from this), IAC valve replacement is the most expensive and might cost you around 3,500 bucks for the spare.
I'd say go to any competent MASS and get it thoroughly checked by SDT(Suzuki Diagnostic Tool). A healthy 800 runs absolutely smooth and silent.

Regards,
Shashi

[tacho9000]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Good to see you take the plunge and finally publish your ownership report, over two years after starting to compose it in the Assembly Line! Way to go!

I am sure if you invest a little more time and money on this very reliable and VFM car, it won't let you down, and you wouldn't need to tire yourself out by pushing it!

Thank you SS-Traveller. Will work towards improving the car over time as and when the money permits.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

2 years on the assembly line- that's really some time. The report was quite an interesting one, specially for me as I too own a 2000 model Golden M800 DX(same california gold shade as yours), albeit in the 5 Speed MPFI avatar. Enjoyed reading it.

My goldie-http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3873350


Firstly I'd say change the fuel filter if it hasn't been changed. If the issue remains, check if the battery is fine. I had this issue(though barely noticeable) in my 5-speed when my battery was extremely weak. Then get the throttle body cleaned. If the issue still persists, get the IAC valve checked.

Change of fuel filter will cost you Rs.330 for the filter(most probable cause), throttle body cleaning will cost you around 700 rupees(useless in my opinion, though many people benefit from this), IAC valve replacement is the most expensive and might cost you around 3,500 bucks for the spare.
I'd say go to any competent MASS and get it thoroughly checked by SDT(Suzuki Diagnostic Tool). A healthy 800 runs absolutely smooth and silent.

Regards,
Shashi

Thank you Leoshashi. I was smitten by the specs of your car when it was released and as quite disappointed that my father bought an older tech car but over time during the repairs I understood that being a carburetor powered car meant it was a lot simpler to repair and can allow one to learn more about the car and that's where the bond between my car and me grew. And now I'm absolutely in love with my faithful Goldie.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Finally the long term ownership is up and running! One lovely car out there and the one that had Indian common man rolling on our roads and the car that almost killed the Ambassador & Premier Padmini (Fiat).

She looks good for a '99 model! Keep it updated as and when you can.

Thank you a4anurag. I still remember how I used to advise you on your car's servicing based on my experience with my car. It was a bit over the top but then again I decided to finally write down my own thread and yes it has been quite a journey with the car and will continue to be so. OT: I'm following your thread about the tyres. My car is overdue for a tyre change for long and it will be done soon

Originally Posted by amit_snk

Nice thread tacho0009, your car looks fine for a 16 year old model. I purchased a pre owned 2000 make 800 5speed dx 4 months back, have driven 10000 kms and car works absolutely fine for a 15 year old.

Your car seems to be carburetor version. There is a little difference of power and mileage between mine and your one, my highway mileage with full AC comes around 20+ on highways and 17+ in city.

I am facing a little problem with mine: excessive vibrations at idle, got it checked from A.S.S at the time of service and they opined that, its just fine and normal for a 800, but its little irritant in the overall driving experience. Any suggestions from your experience?

Thank you amit_snk. As shashi has said kindly follow his advice it will be the best for you. Also for unwanted vibrations do check the condition of the engine mounts too as they can wear down over time and lead to increase in vibrations. I have had mine changed once back in 2012 due to vibrations and it has improved.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Nice thread tacho9000. The first car is always very close to heart and it feels good that you are taking good care of it. A well kept Maruti 800 is still a fun car to drive and can bring a smile even to this day. Wish you many more kilometers of happiness with the sweet little beauty.

Thank you BlackPearl. Appreciated.

[petrolhead_neel]

Hi Shubhra Da,

Awesome review.

I have very special memories and moments with a cherry red M800. Your review rekindled them.

Dunno much about the technical aspects, but your carb 800 sounds very good and unique! I had the pleasure of sitting in your car and hearing you rev her. Thanks for putting up that pic of Goldie, you and me; means a lot to me.

BTW, did you finally fit the hub caps?

Drive safe and here's wishing you a lot more miles on this cute little car that put India on wheels.

Neel

[tacho9000]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Hi Shubhra Da,

Awesome review.

I have very special memories and moments with a cherry red M800. Your review rekindled them.

Dunno much about the technical aspects, but your carb 800 sounds very good and unique! I had the pleasure of sitting in your car and hearing you rev her. Thanks for putting up that pic of Goldie, you and me; means a lot to me.

BTW, did you finally fit the hub caps?

Drive safe and here's wishing you a lot more miles on this cute little car that put India on wheels.

Neel

Thank you neel. This being a carburetor type car is really simple car with old school mechanicals and robust reliability. It was my pleasure that you got to sit in my car. And no I couldn't fit the hub caps. Can't seem to find that retention spring. However because the car runs very less nowadays I've not pursued the spring for hubcaps. Right now I'm occasionally driving around my brother's maruti Suzuki swift dzire vxi(2011) with my car coming out once every 2-3weeks. Also the tyres are overdue for a change along with a suspension and steering overhaul post which I'd look into fitting the hubcaps. Lack of funds is what is holding me back from completing the above said jobs on "Goldie".

Regards,
Subhra

[1100D]

This is the car that put our country on wheels. What if it was red? One of my juniors had a Red 800 inherited from his Doc dad. It was falling apart almost everywhere, but Boy, did it used to run and how!! Costlier, newer cars used to have difficulty keeping up with it.

Car behind him used to pick up the parts and then reassemble on reaching the destination.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Standing (ovation) tacho9000 for being able to pen down so much of your emotion over a span of 2 years and bringing the much awaited Ownership Review of your Maruti 800 DX on air; finally. "Better late than never" as they say it.

You should be proud to possess a car which drove India (as commented by 1100D) till sometime back and according to me there will be very few who have not owned or driven a Maruti 800 sometime or the other in their lives. Being your first car this has and always will be super special to you. Do not let go of it under any circumstance as you have held onto it pretty well in all these years.

Sharing some pictures of your Car which I caught on my Camera in the Last Team BHP Monsoon Meet of the Kolkata Chapter. Hope you would not mind me sharing the same.

Goldie reversing :


The Youngest BHPian in our group posing with Goldie :


Make this picture your Team-BHP Avatar :



Do not know where will I able to share my emotion with the Maruti 800 in this Forum !! I guess this is the best and the most opportune thread to share the picture of my Granddad's 2002 Maruti 800 which had done only 16000 Kms till 2008 before he left us for his heavenly abode. The car remained parked idle in our garage due to the sentimental value attached to it.

It was in 2010 that something struck me seeing the junked 800 and I put it under restoration @ Alok Automobiles. Spent around Rs.55,000 on the car to get it up on it's feet, just to see that smile on my Grandmom's face.

At that time I used to drive my IKON and simultaneously started to take the 800 out for short spins within the city. We finally sold the car in 2013 and at that time it's odo had clocked over 33,000 Kms.

Sharing a picture of that particular restored car just before I posted it on Team-BHP Classifieds and put it up on sale :



Keep the thread updated and do not take years to do so henceforth

[amit_snk]

[QUOTEFirstly I'd say change the fuel filter if it hasn't been changed. If the issue remains, check if the battery is fine. I had this issue(though barely noticeable) in my 5-speed when my battery was extremely weak. Then get the throttle body cleaned. If the issue still persists, get the IAC valve checked.

Change of fuel filter will cost you Rs.330 for the filter(most probable cause), throttle body cleaning will cost you around 700 rupees(useless in my opinion, though many people benefit from this), IAC valve replacement is the most expensive and might cost you around 3,500 bucks for the spare.
I'd say go to any competent MASS and get it thoroughly checked by SDT(Suzuki Diagnostic Tool). A healthy 800 runs absolutely smooth and silent.

Regards,
Shashi[/quote]

Got the throttle body as well as injecters cleaned, although there's a definite Sprint in her legs now, but idle vibration problem still persists. Discussed with mechanic about it and he said it's normal for 800 due to low slow running setting and increasing that can have negative effect on mileage.

Battery is also on its last legs but I was hoping to extract the last drop of juice left in it. Does a weak battery effects engine running? Will get the fuel filter changed in the next service and get the diagnostics done, lets see what comes out of it. Thanks for your advice.